Gordon Vayo and Kenny Hallaert prepare for the World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table with big scores; two famous names win PokerStars World Championships of Online Poker titles, and four of California’s largest card rooms prepare for the Southern California Poker Championships.
Two members of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine warmed up for the final table with big wins both live and online this week.
Gordon Vayo added $587,120 to his bank account after topping a field of 1,054 entrants in the $2,500 buy-in Winstar River Poker Series. It was a final table laden with stars with Layne Flack (4th), Grant Hinkle (5th), Chino Rheem (7th), Jeff Duval (8th), and Danny Fuhs (9th) all coming within a whisker of winning. Vayo is now the second favourite to win the WSOP Main Event just behind Cliff Josephy.
The 5/1 shot Kenny Hallaert also prepared well this week taking down the partypoker Online Grand Prix for $63,891. The Belgian, who last week managed the Unibet Open in Copenhagen in his capacity as Tournament Director, defeated a field of 4,531 entrants to take the online crown.
Moving from the WSOP to the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) and Sean Yu beat 528 competitors to take the $170,286 first prize in the $1,675 Main Event in Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas. Yu, a former WPT500 winner, defeated Eli Elezra in heads-up action to book himself a berth in the season-ending Global Casino Championships. Josh Turner will join him after winning the Planet Hollywood Casino Championships. Erik Sagstrom also made a rare appearance on the tournament scene by taking down the High Roller at the same festival for $65,000.
PokerStars Related News
The World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP) are currently in full swing. PokerStars will be churning out millions in prize money including a $10m Guaranteed Main Event with a minimum $1.5m for the winner, and a $102,000 Super High Roller Re-Entry!
The first two big names to capture WCOOP titles are Connor Drinan and Christian Jeppsson. Drinan won Event #5 $320 NLO Hi-Lo 6-Max for $26,614.82 playing under the pseudonym blanconegro. Jeppsson won his second career title in successive years when he took down Event #6: $215+R No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max for $72,339.49 playing under the moniker that has seen him earn over $8.6m playing online tournaments – eisenhower1.
PokerStars also concluded a live event this week.
The United Kingdom & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) set up camp at the Hippodrome for one last bash. The Norwegian Stian Knutsen won the £42,500 first prize beating Dara O’Kearney in heads-up action. The UKIPT has one more stop to make in Birmingham and then the sigil will go into retirement.
Another PokerStars sponsored sigil that will end soon is the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT). The final event held in this format will take place as part of the Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) Millions. PokerStars will sponsor the festival for the last time, and the 2016 schedule was released this week.
A few weeks ago we told you a tale of PokerStars naming a $22 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) event in honour of Lex Veldhuis after the Team Pro made the final table three times in a week. PokerStars promised to repeat that feat if anyone else who could follow in Veldhuis’s footsteps and interest in the event grew by 73% as a result. In the wake of those startling numbers, PokerStars have selected a $11 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event and have promised to name it after the first man or woman who makes the final table twice in a week.
Other Online Poker Room News
888 has thrown their hat into the live tournament ring after announcing plans to host 888Live Festivals three times a year. The 11 event festivals will feature a £880 buy-in Main Event, and a £2,000 High Roller. The first festival takes place in Aspers, Stratford Oct 13-23.
TonyBet has inked a deal that will see them use NYX Gaming’s Open Gaming System (OGS) as part of their online casino strategy, and also announced plans to launch Run It Twice tournaments this week. It’s the first time the popular format has made the transition from cash games to tournaments.
Stateside News
Six-time WSOP bracelet winner, Ted Forrest, was in hot water this week after Clark County lawmen issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of theft and using bad checks. Forrest allegedly wrote two bad checks and sent them to the Wynn for a total of $215,000. His legal team says Forrest wrote the checks to set up a line of credit, and not to repay outstanding loans. The official paperwork differs, and the sideshow moves on.
Finally, four of California’s largest card rooms are joining forces to create the Southern Californian Poker Championships. The Garden Casino, The Bike, The Hustler, and The Commerce will each host 64 starting flights between them in a $350 buy-in Quantum Reload tournament. The winner is guaranteed $500,000 and a brand new Mercedes.
Time ladies and gentlemen, please.
Someone has just called the clock.
